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June 6, 2007
2007 Prospect Lefferts Gardens House Tour Recap
Checking out the two slide shows from Planet PLG and frequent Brownstoner contributor Bob Marvin made us extra bummed that we were not able to make it this year. While it looks like the tour had its usual staple of old-school goodness, we think the photos of the modern interior renovation look amazing. Was that the highlight for most people?
Planet PLG House Tour Slide Show [Flickr]
Bob Marvin's PLG House Tour Slide Show [Brooklyn Camera Club]
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Comments
Come on, Mr. B. Just look at that shaggy rug.
Ewwww...
Posted by: Anonymous at June 6, 2007 9:58 AM
Love that shaggy rug!
Posted by: Anonymous at June 6, 2007 10:17 AM
I am so tired of the same people who want all brownstone interiors and decorations to look the same. The rug and the modern interiors look refreshing. All of the shots on flicker look great!
Posted by: Anonymous at June 6, 2007 10:32 AM
I really love Victorian and Edwardian interiors, so I was very surprised that the Lincoln Road modern interior was a major highlight of the tour for me. The wonderful art was part of it, but IMO the house was brilliantly done.
Posted by: Bob Marvin at June 6, 2007 10:44 AM
It looks like fun. Hopefully I can make it next year. I admire anyone who puts their house on tour, warts and all. Not everyone can afford state of the art renovation. If they are happy with what they have, who are we to complain?
I personally like a good mix of historical restoration, eclectic fixing up, and new interpretations of the rowhouse configuration. From the photos, it looks as if this was the case here. Kudos to everyone's hard work.
Unabashed plug - the first Crown Heights North House Tour will take place on Oct 6. Hope to see all veteran house tour junkies there.
Posted by: Brower Park at June 6, 2007 10:48 AM
There are a few nice houses in PLG which the tour highlighted but for people thinking of moving there theses homes are few and far... there is a plethora of section 8 residents in PLG who aren't going anywhere. (Ocean Ave, Parkside). I think it will take a 10 to 15 year turn around for the crime to finally turn here and would point people to the crime stats before buying ... I know brownstoner thinks park bordering hoods will pop but serioulsy look around and think about the walk home from the train at 10pm.
Posted by: Anon at June 6, 2007 11:38 AM
um - who said anyting about moving, buying or crime - this is about the house tour. stay on track. i am sure you'll get another chance to bash plg in the near future.
Posted by: anon at June 6, 2007 11:49 AM
That rug worked. I loved the Lincoln Road house, but the kitchens on Rutland also caught my eye. Of course the Midwood 4 story was great; the wisteria vine climbing the back of the house was worth the price of the ticket alone!
For the most part, the houses represented the styles I see in many of the houses in the Manor, 11:38 knows not of what he (she) speaks.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 6, 2007 12:03 PM
my favorite was the home (I think it was on Rutland) with the arts and crafts style and the great kitchen renovation. They switched the spaces for their kitchen and dining room which created a nice big family friendly kitchen and a really intimate dining room. Loved the honey yellow color in the dining room. This house - like many others - wasn't 'oh my god i just stepped into the pages of Wall Paper ' mind blowing - but it did show a great sense of style that seemed affordable (to middle/upper middle class brooklyn-ites).
Posted by: anon at June 6, 2007 12:11 PM
The rug is ridiculous.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 6, 2007 12:12 PM
loved the english basement renovation. i am about to buy a home in plg with an english basement and i've caught myself wishing it actually had a full garden level. but the english basement reno on the tour showed that it is possible to make an english basment a viable part of your home (not just a place for storage and laundry). Of course it takes some $$$. I didn't work up the nerve to do it, but do you guys think its cool to come out and ask the homeowners how much their renovations cost?
Posted by: anon at June 6, 2007 12:17 PM
What's always apparent about bashers like 11:38 is they know nothing about the neighborhood. The bashers make it sound like PLG only has a few gentrifier suckers who bought in the neighborhood only very recently, as short term investments. And the rest of the neighborhood are hoodlums. It's totally untrue. Most of the houses on the house tour were owned by people who have been in PLG several years. Some of them 20 to 30 years. Raised or are raising their families here. Ask anyone who actually lives here; they love it. Not that the trolls or bashers matter much anyway. Anybody who decides where or where not to spend a million buying a house, based on what they read in anonymous posts on brownstoner is an idiot.
Anyway, back to the house tour. The modern reno on Lincoln was a lot of fun. People lined up to go in the master bath suite to see the water fall from the faucet installed in the ceiling, into the soaker tub, under a skylight. The shag rug is made of leather strips. It worked in that room great. There was another modern interior on Midwood, the one that showed just the basement. It was designed by a talented, young interior designer who also lives in LM. It was fantastic. I think if some found, as someone pointed out, that in the other houses not all the decor worked, it's because people have lived in those houses a couple decades. So despite the period decor in other rooms, in the den you'll see their everyday TV watching couch. That's how I figured it.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 6, 2007 12:29 PM
I've always thought that I saw a disproportionately large number of crazies in this nabe. If there are lots of section 8s, that would explain it. I was over there a few nights ago and some guy approached me for money, and while talking to me he was also counting on the fingers of his right hand...just 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 over and over. Sad.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 6, 2007 12:31 PM
Yes we know, 12:36, you've pasted that several times on various threads. Because oddly, you're convinced you can make people believe PLG is the only place on the planet where crime occurs. Nice way to show sympathy for the family of the victim, btw. Watch out for karma.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 6, 2007 12:43 PM
I'm 31; I just moved to PLG from the West Village, and I walk home from the train (three blocks) all the time at night and feel safe and entirely comfortable. Last night, my fiancé and I took the subway home from a dinner party in Harlem well after midnight, and we were hardly the only people in transit. The Prospect Park stop is well lit, and there's a bright, open-to-the-street bodega on Flatbush between Maple and Midwood that stays open 24 hours and can break up the trip if necessary.
As for nice houses in the neighborhood being few and far between, we looked at many places in PLG before finding our new home, and saw three or four we would have been thrilled with. The single family covenant means very few of these old homes have ever been broken up into apartments, so they usually retain at least some original detail and character. And whether or not they've been recently renovated, many are in fair condition because there hasn't been undue strain on the structure or mechanicals. (Most brownstones were not built to house 12 or more people in one bedrooms or studio apartments.)
After reading many comments on this board that bashed the neighborhood, we were fully prepared for culture shock and serious Manhattan withdrawal following the move. But we keep being pleasantly surprised by little things like the Associated on Flatbush selling organic milk, or the CSA that was organized this year local residents. Absolutely, we could use more services, but even if new restaurants and shops take their sweet time in arriving or never come at all, Park Slope is only one stop away on the B or Q, or a twenty minute walk through the park on a pretty day.
We did look at the crime stats and the police blotters before buying, and honestly, there wasn't anything there to give us pause. Things happen everywhere in New York. There was a shooting spree very near our old apartment in the Village not long ago, and I had to cross a police line to get home that night. I used to see drug deals on a daily basis when I lived near Washington Square Park. And last year, my wallet was stolen two days before Christmas at the 12th Street and 7th Avenue subway exit near St. Vincent's. At 7pm.
Choosing a neighborhood is obviously a very personal decision, and I know PLG is not for some. But we couldn't be happier in our new house and with the neighborhood, even as it is right now, sans chain stores and tasty but precious bistros. The hope of having a few more conveniences close at hand is certainly tantalizing at times, but if a gourmet grocery or a restaurant worthy-of-a-Times review were to suddenly appear, it would only sweeten the deal. The lack of both was never a dealbreaker for us.
Good luck to those of you out there who are still looking.
Posted by: Sara at June 6, 2007 12:49 PM
12:51, where to start. a) what does notice of a crime have anything to do with the reporting and photos of all the effort and generosity on the part of homeowners, to put on a house tour? You're a sourpuss if you think that crime article has a place on this thread. b) that ONE crime has been posted many times on every single thread that mentions PLG, in the last week or so. Which means it's a troll, not a legitimate post. Meaning the troll has no sympathy at all for the family of the victim, because he is using this sad crime to further his own agenda. Karma!
Posted by: Anonymous at June 6, 2007 1:01 PM
You're projecting your own mood then, 1:07. I'm in a great mood today.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 6, 2007 1:20 PM
Why is everyone trying to convince an obviously closed minded and fearful person that our neighborhood (PLG) is really not as bad as they think it is. Personally, I'd love to keep people like that on the other side of the park and not nextdoor to me. Yes, it is as bad as you think and worse, thanks.
Posted by: geebee at June 6, 2007 1:35 PM
Well you have all fallen for the troll. Don't feed the troll. There is no winning. Just ignore.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 6, 2007 1:38 PM
Love the rug.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 6, 2007 4:06 PM
28 Clarkson was my favorite..
it was off the usual beat n path in PLG and was well worth the trip. That house was amazing.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 6, 2007 5:02 PM
The modern house on Lincoln Road was FABULOUS. It was wonderfully designed. Open and spacious. I heard their contractor sucked tho.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 6, 2007 5:51 PM
I see my partner and I in the Flickr photos. How fun!
Homes #1 and #4 were quite lovely, in my humble opinion. #1 had a great modern bathroom.
We spoke with one of the owners of #4 about the fantastic woodwork, and she referred us to the company with which she worked. She told us it took 30 years to get the home to where they wanted it to be. We're a little impatient, though. We want our brownstone to be the pinnacle of perfection RIGHT NOW! : )
Posted by: Robert Jones, Jr. at June 6, 2007 5:53 PM
About the leather shag rug; it LOOKS much better in person than in Tim's photograph and IMO really works well in the room. BUT, I must admit, I was reluctant to step on it.
Posted by: Bob Marvin at June 6, 2007 5:54 PM
12.29... 11.38 here! Did it lived there for 2 years so I gave it a good go (rented though to see if I wanted to take the next step) and got robbed at gun point TWICE! Whats even funnier is that I think its a-holes like me and all these PLG PLUS people who are driving poor people into East NY etc. You can't tell me we're making it better we're not. We hold our house tours and get our coffee shops and bump up rents to eventually push out the people who really rooted there. This also goes for bed stuy etc. The more people get in NYC the further out us commoners need to go pushing out the real working class of NYC... I'm not for Atlantic Yards but at least it'll bring some affordable housing to BKLYN in the prime zones so we stay diverse. done ranting have a great day!
Posted by: Anon 11.38 at June 6, 2007 5:57 PM
Sorry you were disappointed 5:56 (and puzzled that you were further disappointed by people agreeing with you) but FWIW, I don't think you'll ever be likely to see a better tour in PLG. Ypu can take that any way you like. IMO this tour was wonderful (and I have some perspective. having worked on every PLG HT since '75). BUT, if it really disappointed you, I guess PLG isn't for you. You win some, you loose some.
Posted by: Bob Marvin at June 6, 2007 6:03 PM
Hey troll - you're an obnoxious piece of shit. You're the only one commenting here. FUCK OFF!!!
Posted by: Anonymous at June 6, 2007 6:17 PM
Once again as I've stated on other threads, house tours are extremely hard to organize and the work, for the most part, is done by volunteers. I always enjoy a Brooklyn House Tour. I always find something that was of interest to me and I meet interesting people. Thanks to the PLG residents who allowed us into their homes. Victorian Flatbush House Tour is this coming Sunday. Good job Bob.
Posted by: Bev S. West at June 6, 2007 8:44 PM
Thank you Bev S. West, but I only handled a small part of the PLG tour and had nothing whatsoever to do with house selection or anything that happened during the course of the actual tour. That credit goes to others--especially the person who did the overall planning AND had her own home on tour.
BTW, 9:07, I really didn't see how this year's tour "didn't come off very well."
As far as I could see it WAS a "smashing success"that will be a challange to equal, much less surpass. YRMV
Posted by: Bob Marvin at June 6, 2007 9:28 PM
anon 6.17 - Truth hurts.
Posted by: anon at June 6, 2007 9:44 PM
Don't waste your breath, Bob. That's the troll.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 6, 2007 9:44 PM
I guess you're right 9:44. How embarassing--I don't usually fall for his bs anymore.
Posted by: Bob Marvin at June 6, 2007 9:55 PM
Aha - the troll is trolling Bob Marvin too.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 6, 2007 9:59 PM
None of us are perfect :-(
Posted by: Bob Marvin at June 6, 2007 10:07 PM
These are all troll posts. The troll impersonating Bob Marvin. The troll commenting on the troll.
Hey troll: You're a PIECE OF SHIT! That's what we PLG-ers think of you and your ridiculous games.
I'd spit in your face if I met you so you can feel as disgusted as you disgust the residents of PLG.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 6, 2007 10:28 PM
Sure, troll AKA 10:34pm. It's me who's crazy. And just as I'm crazy, you're face will have SHIT thrown all over it if we ever meet.
I don't think you realize what you're getting yourself into, troll. You think you're cute. But in reality, you're going to get your ass kicked across town for your ridiculousness.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 6, 2007 10:37 PM
Don't worry, honey. It will all be deleted by Brownstoner in the morning.
It's particularly offensive, however, that you adopt Bob Marvin's name.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 6, 2007 10:48 PM
No,no one has been impersonating me on this thread,unless there were some posts between my going to bed and now that Mr.B. deleted.
Play nice kiddies and don't feed the....
Posted by: Bob Marvin at June 7, 2007 7:30 AM
I went on the tour and I thought it was great. I would imagine that the houses selected for the tour are some of the nicer houses in the neighborhood. I own a brownstone in a more "desirable" area of Brooklyn and I left the tour thinking that I could see myself living in one of these houses. The houses were not all renovated last year but I like looking at a top of the line 1980s kitchen to see how it holds up. The houses had real families who I assume are not investment bankers, living in them. My feeling was that the other tour attendees also enjoyed the tour. Thanks.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 7, 2007 8:28 AM
I found it very disappointing. The houses were not nearly as nice as I expected and I found many of the renovations to be tacky and hastily slapped together. They're going to have to do better than this next year, otherwise people will lose interest.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 7, 2007 9:35 AM
Someone who just stumbled across this thread would be left wondering whether Brownstoner is a real estate blog or the Son of Sam's online diary.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 7, 2007 10:06 AM
So true, 10:06.
I live in PLG's LM and none of my neighbors read Brownstoner regularly. I know, they've said so. Therefore, anybody who thinks they are getting a true picture of what PLG residents are like, forget it. If you want to know about the neighborhood (or about any of the fine neighborhoods of Brooklyn) you have to get off your a** and go there. Because the majority of the residents are NOT on this website posting over and over. Trust me on that. I love to discuss real estate and architecture, so I visit the site often, or rather I used to. This is my last visit. The site is just not fun, and even worse, it's not even accurate about real estate and the neighborhoods in Brooklyn. Hasn't been for a long while.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 7, 2007 12:21 PM
Don't let the door hit you on the ass on your way out.
Posted by: Brownstoner at June 7, 2007 1:11 PM
If that's truly you, Mr. B., you should be more reasonable. In all fairness, many PLG residents have completely lost interest in this site because of the "troll" who is hellbent on exagerrating crime statistics and otherwise painting the neighborhood ina bad light. The troll not only impacts PLG badly, but also this site, at least from the PLG perspective.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 7, 2007 1:29 PM
Let's try to maintain perspective here. Assumimg that really was Bob Marvin at 7:30AM, then no one was impersonating him and the bizarre rant above came from one of your own psychotic neighbors in PLG. Just chill. You people are beginning to see trolls everywhere.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 7, 2007 1:55 PM
These are all troll posts.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 7, 2007 2:02 PM
No one was impersonating me at 7:30 this morning. Obviously there's at least ONE PLG resident who reads and posts regularly here. I'm sure there are many more but, I can well understand how some of my neighbors could get pissed off about some of the more off-the-wall comments about our neighborhood. That's certainly NOT Mr.B.'s fault and he's no doubt been forced to spend a lot of time, with his finger poised over the delete button, in an effort to set things right
Posted by: Bob Marvin at June 7, 2007 3:33 PM
2:02 is the troll.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 7, 2007 3:45 PM
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